jimaizumi

Its that time of year again in Tokyo where the rain pours for a month straight w/ no end in sight, followed by searing heat and humidity until late October. By now, most of the cyclists around my neighborhood are chatting about this years Honolulu Century Ride....Last years event collected nearly 3500 entrants, of which 2000-2500 were from Japan. This yr will be my first, with some extra time passed out on the beaches of Waikiki. Are there any on this site that has attended any of the past events or plan to ride this yr? Dunno if riding around a tiny little Island in the pacific during September in a set of aero wheels would be a smart idea.... Would be great to meet up if any fellow BF members plan to attend!

PS: Judging by looking at last yrs rider pix, half were truly OCP w/ bad taste in fashion (Disco Jersey's, cargo pants, and nike sneakers).....Somebody call out the fashion brigade!!!!

pigmode

I'll have to pass this year--too many injuries. Lots of AWESOME bikes and CUTE girls last year.

roadfix

Man, the obssesive Japanese love to spend money....

Granny

What's OCP?

oboeguy

Anybody have a turnsheet from previous years? I'll be there in early August with little to do but ride during the day. One BF has already hooked me up with some good advice for riding there but I'll all I can get.

jimaizumi

Definitely a gathering of those who overspend on things they cant afford and support. Check out
https://www.jal.co.jp/hawaii/event/cr_course2.html (sorry, dont know how to paste links yet)
for the coursemap and a quick video from last yr....Pigmode, hearing the Japan Airline flight attendant ATTENDANCE will be double that of last yr....would that be enough to reconsider you to ride in Sept? Wondering if its windy in September....

jimaizumi

Granny: OCP=Over Compulsive Poseur

pigmode

Actually there's an outside chance--I'll know by July sometime. As far as the weather is concerned, Sept. is the start of the season for Kona winds. There's as good a chance for hot muggy windless days as there is for a mild breezy one. I'd hate to miss this event.

CycleAloha

I'm planning on riding the Century and hopefully having one of my friends come out from the main land and ride w/me. Should be a good time...didn't do last years but definately looking fwd to this year.

oboeguy

That'd be really useful if I could read Japanese.

pigmode

Here's a map along with a lot of other useful information.

jimaizumi

well, you dont miss too much by NOT being able to read the Japanese....just gives a small description of the scenery! Rather, I sent the link so you could enjoy watching what kind of suckers actually participate in this event....I'll slowly pace myself next to the attendants, even if it takes 10hrs to finish...

oboeguy

LOL I guess we all have our motivations for riding centuries!

The HBL site is really nice with all those maps! I'm already planning routes in my head!

djninjamusic

I'll be doing the rac...ummm, ride again this year.

Best advice I can give is to try and ride in the front as often as possible. With 3500 people moving at different speeds, it can get quite congested, especially on the climbs.

FUN: Seeing 3499 other people suffering as much as you are...and they're enjoying it at the same time.

NOT SO FUN: The bottlenecks at Diamond Head & Heartbreak Hill. Fortunately it begins to thin out past Sandy Beach, since many people turn around at that point.

If my girlfriend doesn't ride this year, I'll be doing the 100 mi with my HBL buddies. You are very much invited to join us! If my girlfriend does ride, I'll be trying to convince her to do the full 100...

gobes

I've signed up to ride this year for the first time. I live in California and will be there for vacation.

jimaizumi

Gobes, hearing this event is oodles of fun....see you there (try to find me in a pool of 2500 other Japanese folks if you can)!

gobes

ok, try to find me too! I'm not japanese and will be either on a red Trek 5500 or an orange and white Trek 1000. More likely to be the 1000 since I'll worry about it less being on the plane.
Good luck.

roadfix

Don't worry, if you're of average height, you'll stick out like a sore thumb...